


Packed Up All My Things (And All My Love)

by PrussianInAmerica



Series: Resurrection Isn't as Fun as it Used to Be [4]
Category: Welcome to Night Vale
Genre: Angst, Flashbacks, Fluff, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-08-29
Updated: 2013-11-27
Packaged: 2017-12-25 00:14:17
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 1,357
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/946380
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/PrussianInAmerica/pseuds/PrussianInAmerica
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Steve thinks back on his time with Cecil.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Not As Long As You Want Me Still

**Author's Note:**

> I meant to finish this before I posted it, but I got too impatient. So this one will be a few chapters, but still not very long I don't think. First chapter is a flashback to before the accident.
> 
> I don't own Night Vale, but I pray in my Bloodstone Circle three times a day like a good citizen.

"You don't really want to leave Night Vale, do you Steve?" Cecil asked, turning his head away from the television to look up at his boyfriend. Steve smiled down at him and continued carding his fingers through Cecil's hair.

"Of course not, dear. I would never leave you here alone."

"You wouldn't bring me with you?"

"I would never make you leave Night Vale. You love it here."

"But I love you, too. I would go with you if you wanted to leave."

"And I love you, so I won't leave for as long as you want me to stay."

Cecil smiled, pulling the older man's hand out of his hair and pressing a kiss to his palm. "Then I guess you're never leaving."

"Guess not."


	2. With Bells

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm sorry I'm sorry I'm sorry I'm sorry.
> 
> There, now that that's out of the way, my grandpa is coming to visit tomorrow, so I might not be able to post until Monday.
> 
> Also, this chapter's flashback takes place just before the accident. They're not going to be in chronological order, so don't worry if the next one isn't the accident itself (not that I have any idea how the accident happened yet).

_Almost done._ Steve sighed, glancing at Cecil's house across the street. Carlos would be waking up soon, and he would explain what little he knew. Or maybe Cecil would put it off until morning and they'd spend the night the way he and Cecil had spent their last night together. He tried not to think about things like that, though. In the end he was just happy Cecil was happy.

After he brought the last box out he closed the trunk of his Corolla and went back inside to make sure he hadn't forgotten anything. Looking in his nightstand, he found something he'd desperately tried to forget about.

The little velvet box.

* * *

 

_"Are you busy this weekend, Cecil?"_

_"Not that I- Shit!" There was a loud clattering on the other end of the line before Cecil came back. "Sorry about that. Dropped the phone. I'm pretty sure I'm not busy. Why?"_

_"I just thought it'd be nice to go away for the weekend. Just you and me. If you're okay with that, of course. We don't have to leave Night Vale if you don't want to, I mean we can just hang out at your place, or my place or-" Cecil was laughing. Steve liked that he could make Cecil laugh._

_"Steve, calm down! We can go out of town for the weekend. It isn't like I've never left Night Vale. Remember when I went to Europe?"_

_"Yes. You were gone for a week and when you came back you spent the next two weeks eating nothing but Big Rico's."_

_"To make the up the missed ones!"_

_"Honey, you only have to eat at Big Rico's once a week. Forty-two meals is a little overkill."_

_"I happen to_ like _Big Rico's."_

_"I know, I know. So you're okay with going out of town?"_

_"Yes! And if you ask again I might just change my mind. Why this weekend?"_

_"It's our anniversary, and I thought maybe we could celebrate in style this year. A nice hotel room, roses, champagne..."_

_"Oh, I see." Steve could almost hear the smirk in Cecil's voice. "Trying to get me into bed again, Mr. Carlsberg?"_

_"I might just be, Mr. Baldwin." Someday soon, maybe he'd be able to call Cecil Mr. Carlsberg too. Or he could be Mr. Baldwin. It didn't matter much to him. As long as they were together._

_"I could be okay with that. See you for dinner?"_

_"With bells on. And nothing else."_

_"What's going to hold them up?"_

_"I guess you'll just have to come find out."_

_Cecil laughed again. "I guess so. See you soon. Love you."_

_"Love you too."_


	3. The Good Times

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If my muse stays on the path I've decided on, there should only be one or two more chapters. Then I'll finish up Dear Cecil and I have one more thing planned to tie up things with Steve. Then again, my muse is a fickle bitch with a short attention span.
> 
> I don't own Night Vale. I don't even exist. You aren't reading anything.

_"I can't stay home, Steve. The show-"_

_"Will be done by an intern. It'll be fine. You are sick, though, and you should stay home so you can get better."_

_"But Night Vale expects me!"_

_"Night Vale wants you to be your best. Rest your voice tonight and maybe you can do tomorrow's show."_

_"But-"_

_"What did I_ just _say? Rest your voice."_

_Cecil pouted, but kept his mouth shut._

_"I'll even stay here and take care of you. I brought tea and honey for your throat and a few movies I know you love but refuse to watch because they're no longer municipally approved. Don't you make that face at me Cecil Baldwin. I filled out all the right forms and got special permission to watch them tonight."_

_Cecil narrowed his eyes at his boyfriend before walking back to the couch._

_"Knew you'd come around to my way of thinking. Do you want to start with His Girl Friday?"_

* * *

 

Steve couldn't leave Night Vale until the sun was in the sky, but if he just sat around waiting for it to rise he knew he'd fall asleep. So to pass the time he wrote some letters. Letters to Cecil, to Carlos, to Dana, to Earl. To be honest, most of them were for Cecil and they were little more than glorified love notes.

But he wanted someone to remember the good times. Or at least know they happened.

* * *

 

Well, _Steve thought to himself as he hung his coat up,_ that was the worst first date anyone has ever had. I wonder how long before the town hates me.

_Really, it wouldn't have been so bad if Steve hadn't been trying to make it so_ good. _If he had just let it all happen naturally it would have fine. They wouldn't have been too busy wondering if they were supposed to be sitting on the same side of the table, causing them to not remember that Rico's pasta was still attacking everyone who ordered it. They wouldn't have accidentally hidden in the haunted bathroom stall and gotten chased all the way to City Hall. City Hall wouldn't have realized they were outside of their official first date parameters and sent them both home with a warning._

And Cecil wouldn't have run home without looking back.

_It was fine, really. It'd been a long shot, even though Cecil had kissed him the other day. You could kiss someone and not mean anything by it. Maybe he just pitied Steve. The last thing Steve wanted was for Cecil to do something he didn't want to._

_His thoughts were interrupted by a rhythmic tapping at the window. He glanced up to see that night's Secret Policeman pointing calmly at the front door just before there was a knock._

_Steve opened the door to a fairly large bouquet of beautiful flowers with legs. After a few odd seconds Cecil peeked out from behind it and grinned._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The second flashback is based on a post from imagineyourotp.  
> http://imagineyourotp.tumblr.com/post/60358050985/


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm sorry this took so long, I've had a lot going on over the last couple months. But last night I sat down and banged out this chapter and the next part which have been gathering dust on my google drive since September. Dear Cecil will have at least three more chapters, so don't worry, I'm not done with this universe just yet.

In the end, he gave the entire box of things he was leaving in Night Vale to Rico to give to Carlos. Everything inside was labeled with special ink that he was almost positive wouldn't rearrange itself. Like, eighty percent positive. There wasn't much. Some letters to Cecil, a letter to Carlos, his iPod for Earl because he liked all the ritualistic wailing on it more than Steve, and some troll dolls he had modified to fit in in Night Vale for Dana. She seemed to really like his collection, maybe she'd start her own.

It was odd, watching Night Vale shrink into the distance in his rearview mirror. He'd left before, but he'd always known he'd be back. He was certain he'd never come back now.

* * *

 

_Steve was minding his own business, trying to finish his essay on Government Sanctioned Sacrifice in the cafeteria, when Cecil Baldwin stormed over._

_"Who the hell do you think you are?"_

_"I'm fairly certain I'm still Steve Carlsberg. Feel free to correct me if I'm wrong."_

_"You just think you're so great, don't you? And you drive around in that stupid corolla, and you don't perform the required daily rituals, and you just, you just." Cecil groaned in frustration and stomped his foot on the ground. It wouldn't be the first or last time Steve thought he looked cute when he was angry. "You have no right to be in my dreams, or keep me from eating, or look at me with that stupid grin! Stop that!"_

_It was entirely possible that Steve had fallen asleep (he'd stayed up late working on his essay) and found himself in an amazing dream, but there was almost no doubt in his mind that Cecil was kissing him._

_And that was definitely okay with him._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There's one more part after this, I've probably mentioned it before, just to wrap things up with Steve. It's only one chapter and I've already written it so it should be up soon.


End file.
